Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Zhengjie didn't say much, put down the memorial in her hand, and changed the subject, saying, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​using this heating system for warmth?"

Bai Su stroked his chin and said, "In the past, during winter, many people would close their doors and windows and use braziers to keep warm in their houses. If the charcoal poisoning accumulated to a certain extent, it would be life-threatening."

"Since it's not safe inside the house, why not just burn coal outside? We need to find a way to transfer the heat from the burning coals into the house."

A hint of doubt flashed in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes: "The fire is outside, so far away, how did it get in?"

Bai Su said with a smile, "This naturally requires the use of pipes. Iron has high conductivity, so we can build a boiler room outside."

"Boiled water can be laid along the pipes in the house or under the floor tiles. This way, there will be no carbon monoxide poisoning, no need to worry about fire, and the whole room will be warm and cozy."

"No matter how heavy the snow is outside, it's always spring-like inside the room..."

Looking at Bai Su, who was speaking eloquently in front of her, Zheng Jie felt both pleased and annoyed.

The good news is that Bai Su's idea is indeed excellent. It is not only comfortable and convenient, but also safer, making it a truly beneficial thing for the country and its people.

But what's infuriating is that this damned sycophant is a complete scoundrel.

Despite his exceptional talent, a true steed of unparalleled caliber, this horse had an insatiable appetite, requiring him to be fed ample fodder every time he was ridden.

Although this guy doesn't crave power and has little interest in money and fame, he's becoming increasingly picky about certain things.

It would have been one thing if he had just gotten close to her ear and called her "mother-in-law," but this damned sycophant actually wanted her to wear a dragon robe and bend down to do evil.

Zhengjie clenched her teeth as she thought about this.

After Bai Su carefully explained the underlying principles, she was taken aback when she saw Zheng Jie staring at her with a strange expression.

He couldn't help but ask, "Then... Your Majesty, is there something I said wrong?"

Zhengjie snapped out of her reverie, coughed lightly, and changed the subject, saying, "Bai Su, your idea sounds good, but it seems to be very expensive. After all, the cost of a boiler is tens of guan, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary people."

Bai Su explained with a smile, "Your Majesty need not worry. These boilers do not need to be custom-made. The government can simply fund the construction of a large boiler at regular intervals, and then connect the official road directly to each household. This unified heating of hot water can save a lot of costs and is more efficient."

"Moreover, this is not a transaction, but a business that can be run. For example, a fee can be collected every year for heating for a few months, and the imperial court can quickly recover its costs and even turn a profit."

"From now on, the imperial court will have another stable source of tax revenue. Although this amount is not large, it will accumulate into a considerable sum over time. After deducting the costs for daily meditation and maintenance, there will still be a significant surplus..."

After listening to Bai Su's words, Zheng Jie nodded slightly.

As the saying goes, firewood is always one of the biggest expenses for ordinary people, including firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

If the government provides heating, and the cost is not much higher than the firewood they usually use, while also being safer and more comfortable, then most people would certainly be willing to pay the money voluntarily.

The government, relying on its good credit, collected a year's worth of fees at once, and the imperial court could recoup its costs in no time. It was like getting a heating road that could reliably provide tax revenue for free, a deal that seemed like a sure thing.

After pondering for a long time, Zhengjie said, "From this perspective, this is an infrastructure project like a canal or an official road. The imperial court has invested a huge amount of money and resources, but the returns are very small, or rather... in the short term, it's just a drop in the bucket, with hardly any profit."

Bai Su said, "Since ancient times, building roads, bridges and infrastructure has always been a huge investment with little to no return in the short term, and it can even be a losing business. It's like the predecessors planting trees for the descendants to enjoy the shade. However, if Your Majesty wants to make money, there are ways."

A hint of curiosity flickered in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes: "Oh, what method?"

Bai Su said with a smile, "We'll just take money from whoever has the money."

Zhengjie quickly understood Bai Su's meaning and tentatively asked, "You mean, the powerful figures in the court?"

Bai Su nodded and said, "The local wealthy merchants, the officials in the court, and some powerful figures are much richer than ordinary people. If we don't make money off them, who will we make money off?"

Zhengjie frowned slightly, her delicate eyebrows furrowing: "But how are we going to make money off them? Should we charge them two or three times more?"

After all, these people aren't stupid; they won't pay more for no reason. Even if they did pay two or three times more for heating, it wouldn't amount to much.

Bai Su laughed and said, "Two or three times? Your Majesty, you underestimate them too much. If you want to make money, then set a price a hundred or a thousand times higher. How can you have the nerve to do business like that?"

"A hundred...a hundred times, a thousand times...this...such an outrageous price, will anyone really accept it?"

A look of surprise appeared on Zhengjie's elegant and beautiful face.

Although I often heard some outrageous things while I was with Bai Su, and I had some premonitions in my heart, I still couldn't believe it when I actually heard this exaggerated number.

Bai Su said, "Your Majesty, you have been implementing the policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce for many years. You do not understand the logic of doing business. Looking at the world, the more useful something is, the less valuable it is, and the more useless something is, the more valuable it is."

Zhengjie asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

Bai Su counted on his fingers and said, "Your Majesty, think about it. Things like grain, salt, and cloth, which are truly important to people's livelihoods, are often cheap and worthless, while useless stones, jade, coral, and pearls are worth thousands of dollars."

"So once you understand this logic, it's easy to make money off these wealthy merchants and powerful people. Just take an ordinary thing and add a lot of useless embellishments, the more fancy the better."

"For example, wrap ordinary pipes with a layer of gold leaf, carve patterns of birds, beasts, insects and fish, customize a boiler, or even use special blue and white porcelain to line a special bathing pool to store hot water, and give it some fancy names, based on rumors."

"For example, the boiler is made of the finest fragrant wood, the water is spring water drawn from the mountains, and hot water is transported through pipes wrapped in gold. Soaking in the hot spring water, which is like a piece of blue and white porcelain, can prolong life and make the skin delicate..."

"In this way, what was originally an ordinary heating item can be easily sold for tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times the price."

As Zhengjie watched Bai Su talking non-stop in front of her, she couldn't help but raise her eyelids.

It has to be said that Bai Su's business tactics are truly ingenious, with one step leading to another, let alone those wealthy merchants and nobles.

Let alone wealthy merchants and nobles, even she herself would probably be tempted if she hadn't heard Bai Su explain the money-grabbing schemes involved.

After all, many wealthy merchants and nobles are not pursuing how practical things are, but rather how special they are, preferably one level above others.

For example, if the nutrition from one quail egg is equivalent to that of two chicken eggs, they would rather spend a hundred times the price to compete for one quail egg than eat three chicken eggs.

Bai Su had figured out what these people were thinking perfectly; she could even tell what color their clothes were.

Chapter 280 The Imperial Sister in Dragon Robes

Zheng Jie clicked her tongue in amazement, her phoenix eyes looking at Bai Su with great interest: "What a silver tongue you have! Ordinary things become priceless after you talk about them. You truly deserve to be from Guigu Valley."

“Back then, Zhang Yi used his words to turn 600 li of land into 6 li of land from the hands of the State of Chu. You are no less capable than him.”

Bai Su smiled and said, "I am a general who understands human nature. With just three sentences, I can get someone to spend 180,000 on me..."

Zhengjie couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Hmph, I wonder how many young girls you've fooled with that mouth of yours. How could I possibly fall for your tricks?"

She had intended to tease Bai Su, but the mention of these things brought up a touch of sadness in her heart.

After all, she was much older than Bai Su, and when she was past her prime, Bai Su would be in the prime of her youth.

Looking at Bai Su, who was not yet in her prime, a touch of sadness welled up in her phoenix eyes: "With you here, the Great Xia will surely be prosperous and peaceful in the future, and its power will shake the world. However... I'm afraid I won't be able to see that future."

A hint of sadness appeared on her elegant and beautiful face. Her black hair was piled high with a hairpin, and a long, thin strand of black hair fell down from her temple, making her look somewhat depressed.

After all, the most painful thing in life is not having no one to cherish you, but that time is too short, making you feel very reluctant to let it go.

I was born before you were born, and you were born after I had grown old. I regret that we were not born at the same time, so that I could be with you every day.

Looking at the slightly melancholy and completely devoid of her usual domineering aura, Bai Su couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your Majesty clearly looks like a young woman of sixteen or seventeen, so how could you be old? If Your Majesty were to change into casual clothes and walk down the street with me, people who didn't know us would probably think we were siblings."

His words were, of course, meant to comfort Zheng Jie.

Although Zhengjie's skin is as white as snow, smooth and supple, and feels like that of a young girl, it is a bit of an exaggeration to describe the siblings, but Zhengjie really doesn't look her age.

She showed no signs of aging, except for her voluptuous, tall, and shapely figure, which made her look like a beautiful young woman standing next to Hu Yi and Fu Su.

They don't really look like a mother and daughter; they look more like sisters.

Zhengjie stared blankly for a moment, then came to her senses and said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "I am not as young as you say. You are just making up stories to deceive me."

Bai Su couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, you're really asking for my opinion. I never lie during the day. If Fu Su and Your Majesty were sitting side by side, I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart without careful observation. In fact, Fu Su is much inferior to you."

Zhengjie was taken aback when she heard Bai Su's words.

She gave Bai Su a strange look with her phoenix eyes: "You haven't even seen Fu Su's body, how do you know I'm better than her?"

Bai Su's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to slap herself for saying so much and accidentally letting it slip.

If Zhengjie found out that when he married Hu Yi, he accidentally entered the wrong bridal chamber and harmed her eldest daughter, wouldn't Zhengjie want to cut off his crotch?

Bai Su feigned composure, cleared her throat, and said, "I once heard Hu Yi say that Mother's figure is much better than my sister's, and that her skin is so white and delicate, it feels even more comfortable than the finest silk..."

The Empress's fair face flushed crimson, and she said with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance, "That brat, why does she have to say everything to outsiders? When she gets back, I'll see how I punish her."

Seeing Zheng Jie's embarrassed and angry expression, Bai Su silently mourned for Hu Yi in her heart.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you take the blame. I had no other choice but to do this. When you come back, I'll definitely cook you something delicious to make it up to you.

It took Sister Zheng a while to recover. With her fair hand, she brushed aside the strands of hair between her brows and turned to look at Bai Su: "Alright, since you already have a plan, then this matter will be left to you to handle."

"Now that the temples in the palace have been almost repaired, you can set up a set for the temples. Of course, you don't need those fancy things, just make sure they are practical and convenient."

Bai Su nodded and said, "I will definitely design it personally for His Majesty. By the way... is His Majesty building temples to prevent his court officials from noticing anything unusual about his body?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes, then she said, "You noticed?"

Bai Su said, "After all, that hot air balloon was made by me and a group of Mo family disciples. His Majesty once went up to the sky with me and saw it, and knows that there are no gods in this world."

"Now, under the pretext of auspicious omens, she says she will spend a year in a temple seeking immortality and cultivating the Tao. Clearly, she doesn't want the court officials to discover that she is already pregnant."

"Your Majesty, why do you have to do this..."

Seeing Bai Su's worried look, Zheng Jie shook her head slightly and said, "I don't care about the opinions of the world. So what if I am infamous? But... I really don't know how to face Yan'er. I don't know how to face her disappointed look."

Hu Yi, her youngest daughter, had always admired her.

Whenever something interesting or delicious happens, the first person that comes to mind is her, as her mother. Zhengjie has always doted on Hu Yi since he was a child.

But now, as Bai Su's mother-in-law, she's stealing a man from her own daughter and is even pregnant. How can Xiao Su'er possibly view her like this?

The thought of Hu Yu looking at him with disbelief was unbearable.

Zhengjie's slender, jade-like hands clenched involuntarily. A strong sense of guilt and unease caused a complex look to appear in her phoenix eyes.

Looking at Zheng Jie's expression, Bai Su couldn't help but say, "But it's not right to keep it a secret like this."

Zhengjie glared at Bai Su with shame and anger: "It's all because of you, you damned treacherous minister. If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up in this situation?"

Bai Su felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and couldn't help but glance away guiltily.

"Well, as the saying goes, every gain has its loss. I have gained a steed that can travel a thousand miles a day, so naturally I must also be prepared to feed it grass..."

As she spoke, Zhengjie stood up and walked towards the screen.

Bai Su couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Zhengjie paused, glanced at Bai Su with her phoenix eyes, and said, "Didn't you want to see me in my dragon robe?"

Having said that, he walked toward the screen.

Bai Su's face showed a hint of surprise. He had only wanted to tease Sister Zheng a little, saying he wanted to see what she looked like in her uniform, but he didn't expect her to actually agree.

This...this is truly an unexpected surprise.

He held his teacup and kept drinking tea. After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound came from behind him.